Automatic telephone-dial-operating pencil attachment



Mal-c1124, 1931. R. VAN slcKLER AUTOMATIC TELEPHONE DIAL OPERATINGPENCIL ATTACHMENT Filed Aug. l2, 1950 Rabe/v2' Van dLclle/r Patented24,A l1931 A uNrrl-:n4 STATES VPA-TENT ori-ica j noma' vnr arman, orWASHINGTON, marmer or ooLmu, assrenon. -'.ro Lnan rmrcn. conm,conronarron or Naw .mnsnz Wonne mnrnomnnrformme Platten'. a'r'racAppunti mea aum 1s, im, smal No. 474,794.

ThisV invention relates erally particular reference to improvements. inattachments for pencils and Aslmilar `mstru-v ments by means of whichsuch instruments can conveniently be used for such purposes as operatingthe call dials of automatlc telephones and also to allow for the use .ofthe eraser end of a pencil without removlng the '10 attachmenttherefrom.

- In automatic telephone practice, as is well known, to make an erasureit is necessary either'to remove'the dialing attachment vfrom the pencilor to use anotherpencll or .an

eraser. Thepurpose of my inventron 1s 1ntended to eliminate thislnconvenlence by providin -a' pencil dialing attahment that makes alowance for the useof the. eraser end as well as the pencil end.`

A furthersfobject of my invention 1s to provide means for adjustment tocompensate for the wear on the eraser.

Another object of my invention is to rovide a device of the characterindicated w ich can be manufactured at a low cost, but which device inits application to an automatic tele-v phone dial;

Fig. 4 is a perspective of the attachment l; Fig. 5 is a cross-sectionof a modification of my invention; and

Fig. 6 is an elevation of another modification of my invention. Y

The construction shown in the drawings is adapted to u'se with anordinary lead pencil and eraser 10. vIt comprises an apertured to vim'provements in pencils, and the like, but has l circular wall thereof.

'p object as a pencil or the will nevertheless be durable andotherwiseftct With the numbe lopenings 16 and 17 memberl or a springmetal sleeve or cap 11 having a vertical slot 12 provided in the The.member or ca 11 1s adapted to fit over the top of some sucg like. Themember '55 o r cap 11 may be provided on its inner periphery withcorrutgations 13 and studs 1,4 to engage the sides o the pencil 10 to-hold the device 1n engagement with the pencil shaft and also to allowfor ad'ustment Aof the atf tachment on the pencil. e member or cap 11preferably has a spherical or bulbous portion 15 whic may be integraltherewith and having an aperture 16 whlch is in alignment wlth anaperture 17 in the base of the sleeve 11-to allow for the reception ofthe encil 10.

the construction shown in Flg. 3 the devl'ce is shown vin operatingosition the port1on` 15 being of a slightl larger iameter than theopening 18 in dyial plate 19 of the automatic telephone 20. By thisarrangement' the 'eraser end of the pencil 10 will not touch -u on thenumber plate 21 to cause the numer s and letters on the Iplate to beobliterated 'or retard the dlialing action by conrv ate.

I n the modification s own in Fig. 5 I have provided a ortion 15 havingan inwardly extending s eeve member 11 and ali ed for the reception othe pencil and means for retaining said pencil Y as indicated b studs orrongs 14.

In the mo ilication shown in Fig. 6, vI have provided a, portion 15"having a sleeve 11" integral therewith, said sleeve having a pluralityof flat surfaces 22 to prevent enci attachment from rolling 0E a flatsuriace.

While the constructions shown and above described are entirelysatisfactory for the purposes primarily set forth, the ideas are capableo various embodiments, with suitab e modifications and changes,a1lcoming within the scope of the claims which follow.

Iclaim:

1. An attachment for pencils and the like, comprising an adjustablesleeve member having a spherical portion andaligned openings therein forthe reception of the body'and eraser of a pencil, said spherical'portion having a diameter in excess of the diameter of 0 .the openingsof an automatic telephone dial.

2. An attachment for pencils for operating the dial of an automatictelephone and the like comprising an adjustableA sleeve member having aspherical portion and aligned openings therein for the insertion of apencil, per- `mitting th'e eraser to extend beyond said sphericalportion for ready use, the spherical ,j portion having a diameterslightly in excess offthe diameter of the telephone dial openings, toprovide an operating connection therewith, While maintaining clearancebetdvvelen the eraser end of the pencil and the 3. A telephone dialoperating pencil attachment comprising pencil engaging sleeve, anintegral ball shaped portion having an opening therein to permit use ofan eraser on the end of said pencil and means for adjusting said sleeveto compensate for wear on said eraser.

4. An attachment for pencils and the like -comprising an internallycorrugated telephone dial operating member having a spherical portionprovided With an openin adapted to expose the eraser of a pencil anprongs on the tubular portion adapted to engage said pencil and holdsaid member in position for operating a telephone dial.

5. An attachment for pencils and the like,-

comprising an adjustable sleeve member having a spherical portion andaligned openings therein for the reception of the body and eraser of apencil, said spherical portion having a diameter in excess of theopenings of an automatic telephone dial, said spherical member havingflattened portions extending around its circumference on a line at rightangles to the sleeve member.

6. An attachment for pencils and the like for operating the dial of anautomatic telephone comprising substantially a spherical memberapertured to provide opposed terminal openings adapting it to be mountedon a pencil adjacent the butt end of the same, and adapting it to exposean eraser at the side opposite that from which the pencil extends andbeyond the dial operating surface of the attachment.

7 An attachment for pencils and the like for operating the dial of anautomatic telephone comprising an apertured member havinga sphericalenlargement of a maximum diameter slightly in excess of the diameter ofthe openings of a telephone dial, said member having provision forslidably mounting the same upon the pencil for adjustably positioning itadjacent the eraser end of the same in dial operating position and toregulate the degree to which the eraser end may extend bevond the memberfor read use. In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to thisspecification.

ROBERT VAN SICKLER.

